Improvement in car-couplings



G. H.'MERRIA M.

Improvement in Car-Couplings.

NO. 130,551. 1 Patentd Auvg.20,1872..

Ulvrrnn STATES AENT FFICE.

GEORGE H. MERRIAM, OF PORTLAND, MAINE, ASSIGNOR OF ONE-HALF OF HIS RIGHT TO SETH VOODBURY AND VILLIAM T. GRAY, OF LYNN,

MASSAOHUSETTTS.

IMPROVEMENT IN CAR-COUPLINGS.

Specification forming part ofLctters Patent No. 130,651, dated August 20, 1872.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, GEORGE H. MERRIAM, of Portland, in the county of Cumberland and State of Maine, have invented a new and Improved Automatic Coupling-Attachment for Draw-Heads; andI do hereby declare the folf lowing to be a full, clear, and exact description ot' the same, reference being had to the accompanying drawing, forminga part of this specification, in which-` Figure l is a perspective view of my invention; and Fig. 2 is a sectional view, showing my improvement attached to a drawhead.

Similar letters of reference in the accompanying drawing indicate the same parts.

rIhe object of this invention is to provide for the public a new article of manufacture-to wit, a simple and cheap device, which can be readily attached to any of the old-fashioned draw-heads without altering their construction in any respect, for the purpose of enabling them to couple the cars automatically; and to this end the invention consists in the construction and employment of a device made independently of the draw-head, and adapted to be attached to or removed from it at pleasure, for the purpose above indicated, and substantially as I will now proceed to describe.

In the drawing, A is a plate of metal, bent into the form represented in Fig. l, and provided with aturned-down lip, a, and two holes or slots, a', in vertical line with each other. B is a second plate attached to the plate A by any suitable means, and thence extending downward so as to form a squared shoulder, b, and then backward toa line with the end of the plate A. C O area pair of spring-clasps attached to the upper part of the plate A, and adapted to embrace the draw-head and hold the device in proper relation thereto. D is a rod extending from behind the shoulder b, where it is keyed or provided with a head, d, to a point under, and in line with the holes af,

' Where it terminates in a block, E, it being encompassed by a spiral spring, s, between the block and the shoulder b. The block is made concave on its front side, with an overhangin g flange, c, across its upper edge, as shown. The tension ot' the spring and the arrangement of the parts are such that a slight backward thrust against the block E moves it back from under the holes a.

-In construction, the device above described is adapted to be inserted into the draw-head of a railroad-car, the bent part of the plate A litting closely around the upper lip of the drawhead, the flange a coming down upon the drawbar or catching behind any projecting surface cast thereupon, the spring-straps C C claspin g around the draw-bar, the holes a a coming in vertical line with the bolt-holes of the drawhcad, and the rear portion of the plate A, together with the plate B, and the parts D E S, litting inside of the draw-head, Where they are securely held by their shape, by the clamps C, and by the operation of the part B, the rear end of which may be made to spring down so as to keep the parts from rattling, and hold them in their proper position. Thus applied to any old-fashioned draw-head it renders the latter an automatic coupler, for the couplingpin, resting upon the block E, will be at once dropped through the link whenever the latter enters the draw-head and strikes the block. The form of the block is designed to hold the link in a horizontal position while the cars are separated from each other. The inner end of the link iits into the recess in the face of the block, and is held down by the liange e keeping the outer end of the link from dropping below the horizontal line, and also from swinging from one side to the other, out of line with the draw-bar of the next car. If preferred, the plates A B may be struck up from a single piece of metal, a suitable shoulder, b, being provided to receive and hold the end of the rod D, and to sustain the spring S when under compression. The block E will always be made to fit as closely as possible within the draw-head Without binding.

The whole cost of constructing the attachment and connecting it to the car is less than a dollar, while it answers perfectly as :a sub- 2 museali stitute for the most complicated and expeni 2. The automatic coupling attachmentheresive automatic couplings. in described, consisting of the plates A B,

Having thus described my invention, what clasp O, rod D, block E, and spring S, all con- I claim isstructed and arranged substantially as and fo l. As a new article of manufacture, an autlie purposes set forth. tomaticcoupling attachment, constructed sub- GEO. H. MERRIAM. stantialiy as described, and adapted to be tted upon and used in connection With the 01d- Witnesses: fashioned draw-heads, in the manner substan- GEO. F. HOLMES, tially as above set forth. Y E. THURsmoN.

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